Australian Classification Review Board to re-appraise age ratings of 12 games

The Australian Classification Review Board has opted to re-appraise the age ratings of 12 titles, following concerns flagged up by South Australian attorney general John Rau. He reckons the board hasn’t been strict enough when classifying such games as The Walking Dead and Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

The board issued a press release on the matter today, stating that the follow games are up now for review:

Alien Rage

Borderlands 2: Add-on Content Pack

Company of Heroes 2

Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut

Deadpool

Fuse

Gears of War: Judgement

God Mode

Killer is Dead

Splinter Cell Blacklist

The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

The board will re-convene to review the games on November 18 and 19, then December 2, 3 and 5.

In a statement, Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association said that the reviews are odd, given that the body has received no complaints about any of the games listed.

He added, “Most people don’t realise that before a video game lands on a store shelf, it has already been rigorously examined against a set of guidelines set out by our Government. In fact, Australia is one of the few developed nations to have classification guidelines determined by Government.

“Not only have these games already been examined against stringent guidelines, we also haven’t heard of any formal complaints made by parents or adults who think the video games are wrongly classified. The review is an unwarranted and costly exercise to satisfy a vocal yet unrepresentative minority.”

What do you make of the above? Is this a pointless exercise, or do the games warrant further scrutiny?